Jill Haworth Miscast
Is it me of is Jill Haworth completely miscast. When casting for a young European Jewish girl I really wouldn't have chosen a timid blond Brightonian with an accent that drifts from plumb English to vague American.
shareOkay, she was probably insufficiently dialogue-coached, but she was the perfect "Karen" from the book, and for the film.
She was not timid. She was gentle and quiet. She took punk Sal Mineo in hand and softened his hard edges. She sought out her father. She stood night watch for her fellow kibbutzim.
Nor was she a timid Brightonian. She had a long term sexual relationship - at 15- with Sal Mineo, and they both basked in the limelite for a few years.
If anything, she acted like an emancipated minor and seized cinematic opportunity as best she could. Then she went on to initiate the role of Sally Bowles in the original production of Cabaret.
"Timid"? Not at all.